JP2022157967A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a smaller ink jet recording device.SOLUTION: In a printer 100, a substrate 99 extends in a front-rear direction Y and a left-right direction X, and a range occupying in a vertical direction Z overlaps a range occupied by a residual amount sensor 93 and a waste liquid sensor 98 in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, a vertical distance from a controller 99A to each of the residual amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 becomes short, and the controller 99A and each of the residual amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 can be connected to each other via a shorter signal line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus.

In the inkjet recording apparatus, a controller mounted on a substrate controls each part. The control unit controls ejection of ink from the nozzles of the recording head onto the sheet during image recording. Ink is supplied to the print head from the ink reservoir in accordance with ink consumption for image printing.

The control section controls the maintenance section during maintenance. In the maintenance section, a pump sucks the ink as waste liquid from the recording head and sends it to the waste liquid reservoir through the waste liquid tube. The waste liquid reservoir has a waste liquid absorber inside the housing of the waste liquid reservoir, and has a waste liquid detector outside the housing. The waste liquid detector is electrically connected to the controller via an electric wire, and outputs a signal indicating the amount of waste liquid stored in the absorber to the controller via the electric wire. Based on the output signal of the waste liquid detection section, the control section notifies the user of the replacement timing of the waste liquid absorber and the like (see Patent Document 1).

The ink storage section generally has a remaining amount detection section on the outside of the housing. The remaining amount detection unit outputs a signal indicating the amount of ink in the housing to the control unit. The control unit notifies the user of the replacement timing of the ink storage unit, the timing of ink replenishment, and the like, based on the output signal of the remaining amount detection unit.

JP 2013-56503 A

If the heights of the substrate, the waste liquid detection section, and the remaining amount detection section are different from each other, each wiring connecting the control section to each of the waste liquid detection section and the remaining amount detection section occupies a large space. As a result, the size of the inkjet recording apparatus is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of an inkjet recording apparatus.

An inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a housing having an internal space. The internal space of the housing contains a recording head having an ink ejection port, a container that houses an ink reservoir that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and the ink that is stored in the ink reservoir. a maintenance unit for discharging ink from ejection ports of the recording head; a waste liquid unit for storing the ink discharged by the maintenance unit; and a first sensor for detecting ink in the waste liquid unit. 2 sensors and a substrate on which a controller for receiving signals output from the first sensor and the second sensor is mounted. The substrate has a plane extending in the front-back direction and the left-right direction, and the range occupied in the up-down direction orthogonal to the front-back direction and the left-right direction is the range occupied in the up-down direction by the first sensor and the second sensor. overlap with

According to the present invention, the size of the inkjet recording apparatus can be reduced.

2 is an external perspective view of the printer 100. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the housing 1 of the printer 100; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the layout of the main parts inside the housing 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the layout of the main parts inside the housing 1; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which guide rails 81B, 81F and the like are removed from the main portion shown in FIG. 4; (A) is a front view of the CTG case 91R, and (B) is a view of a longitudinal section taken along the line VIB-VIB in (A) as seen from the left. (A) is an external perspective view of the CTG 92, and (B) is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the CTG 92. FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a CTG case 91 and a CTG 92 attached to the CTG case 91; 4 is a schematic diagram showing a maintenance unit 95; FIG. (A) is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the substrate 99 of the embodiment, the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the substrate 99 of the modification. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a maintenance unit 95 according to a modification;

The printer 100 according to the embodiment of the invention will be described in detail below. The embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and the embodiment can be changed as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention.

[Definition of terms]
Hereinafter, progress from the starting point of the arrow to the end point is expressed as direction, and movement on the line connecting the starting point and the end point of the arrow is expressed as direction.

In each drawing and the following description, the vertical direction Z is defined with reference to the state in which the printer 100 is installed for use (the state in FIG. 1). The front-back direction Y is defined as the front side of the printer 100 where the opening 13 is provided. A left-right direction X is defined when the printer 100 is viewed from the front.

In the following description, "within range" or "inclusive" firstly means that both ends in a specific direction of a member that constitutes the printer 100 are inside both ends of another member that constitutes the printer 100 in the same direction. means that Secondly, “within range” or “inclusive” means that both ends in a particular direction of a member that constitutes printer 100 are inside both ends of space in printer 100 in the same direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the range occupied by the pump 95B in the horizontal direction X is included in the range occupied by the space between the cap 95A and the waste liquid unit 96. As shown in FIG. In this case, the right end of the pump 95B is positioned to the left of the right end of the cap 95A, and the left end of the pump 95B is positioned to the right of the left end of the waste liquid unit 96.

[Printer 100]
In FIG. 1, a printer 100 is an example of an image recording apparatus and has a printing function. The printer 100 records an image on a sheet S (see FIG. 2) such as a sheet of paper or an OHP sheet by an inkjet method. The printer 100 includes a generally rectangular parallelepiped housing 1 . Instead of the printer 100, the image recording apparatus may be a multifunction machine having a scanning function and a FAX function in addition to the printing function.

[Case 1]
In FIG. 1, the housing 1 partitions an internal space 11 (see FIG. 2 and the like) of the printer 100 from the outside with a plurality of outer walls 12 . The plurality of outer walls 12 includes a bottom wall 12A, a top wall 12T, a front wall 12F, a rear wall 12B, a left wall 12L and a right wall 12R. 3 to 5, the outline of the housing 1 is indicated by dashed lines.

The bottom wall 12A and the top wall 12T are separated from each other in the vertical direction Z. Each of the bottom wall 12A and the top wall 12T is generally rectangular in plan view and spreads forward, backward, left and right.

The front wall 12F extends vertically and horizontally and is connected to the front ends of the bottom wall 12A and the top wall 12T. Near the lower end of the front wall 12F is an opening 13 facing forward. The left and right ends of the opening 13 are positioned toward the left-right center (that is, inside) of the left wall 12L and the right wall 12R. The shape of the opening 13 is a rectangle elongated in the horizontal direction X when viewed from the front.

An operation panel may be arranged above the opening 13 on the front wall 12F. The operation panel includes a plurality of operation buttons and a display, and is operated by the user.

Each of the rear wall 12B, left wall 12L and right wall 12R blocks the rear end, left end and right end of the housing 1, respectively.

2, the internal space 11 includes main components of the printer 100: a supply tray 21, a discharge tray 22, a feeding mechanism 30, a transport path 40, a pair of transport rollers 50, a pair of discharge rollers 60, a recording unit 70, and a platen. 71 is located.

[Supply tray 21, discharge tray 22]
1 and 2, the supply tray 21 is positioned in the internal space 11 through the opening 13. As shown in FIG. The supply tray 21 has a box shape that is thin in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The supply tray 21 supports a plurality of sheets S in a stacked state on its bottom wall.

The discharge tray 22 is positioned above the supply tray 21 and in front of the discharge roller pair 60, and supports the sheet S on which an image is recorded as a printed matter. The user takes out the printed matter on the discharge tray 22 through the opening 13 .

[Feeding mechanism 30]
2, the feeding mechanism 30 is positioned between the supply tray 21 and the platen 71 in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The feeding mechanism 30 includes a feeding roller 31 and a feeding arm 32 . The feeding roller 31 is supported by the tip of the feeding arm 32 so as to be rotatable around its own axis. The base end of the feeding arm 32 is located above and forward of its own tip. The feeding arm 32 has a support shaft 33 at its proximal end. The feeding arm 32 is supported by the housing 1 (see FIG. 1) so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction of the support shaft 33 . The feed roller 31 contacts the uppermost sheet S supported by the supply tray 21 . The feeding roller 31 is rotated by power from a motor 53 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). As a result, a rearward conveying force is applied to the uppermost sheet S, and the sheet S is introduced to the upstream end of the conveying path 40 .

[Conveyance path 40]
In FIG. 2, the transport path 40 is a so-called U-turn path and has curved portions 41 and straight portions 42 . The curved portion 41 extends upward while curving from the rear end of the supply tray 21 . The curved portion 41 faces forward near the top wall 12T (see FIG. 1). The curved portion 41 is defined by an outer guide member 43 and an inner guide member 44 . The straight portion 42 is continuous with the downstream end of the curved portion 41, spreads from the downstream end of the curved portion 41 in the front, rear, left, and right directions, and extends substantially linearly forward. The straight portion 42 reaches the rear end of the discharge tray 22 . The upper side of the straight portion 42 is defined by the lower surface of the recording unit 70 . The lower side of the straight portion 42 is defined by the upper surface of the platen 71 .

The sheet S is transported on the transport path 40 in the transport direction a indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow. In particular, in the curved portion 41 , the sheet S is conveyed to the conveying roller pair 50 while being guided mainly by the guide member 43 . The sheet S is conveyed by the rotating conveying roller pair 50 and the discharging roller pair 60 while being supported by the platen 71 in the linear portion 42 .

[Conveyance Roller Pair 50, Discharge Roller Pair 60]
In FIG. 2 , the conveying roller pair 50 and the discharge roller pair 60 convey the sheet S in the conveying direction a on the conveying path 40 . The conveying direction a is forward in the downstream of the conveying roller pair 50 .

The conveying roller pair 50 is positioned at the downstream end of the curved portion 41 and includes a drive roller 51 and pinch rollers 52 . Each of drive roller 51 and pinch roller 52 extends laterally at a position near rear wall 12B and top wall 12T (see FIG. 1). The driving roller 51 and the pinch roller 52 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction Z along the transport path 40 on the upper and lower sides of the transport path 40 . The drive roller 51 is rotated by power from the motor 53 . The pinch roller 52 rotates following the rotation of the drive roller 51 . The sheet S is nipped by the rotating conveying roller pair 50 and conveyed in the conveying direction a.

In FIG. 2 , the discharge roller pair 60 includes a drive roller 61 and multiple spurs 62 . The drive roller 61 is located in front of the conveying roller pair 50 in the front-rear direction Y and near the center in the front-rear direction Y of the housing 1 (see FIG. 1). The drive roller 61 is positioned below the linear portion 42 in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The drive roller 61 extends left and right along the transport path 40 and is rotated by power from a motor 53 (see FIG. 3, etc.). The plurality of spurs 62 are arranged side by side with a space therebetween and abut against the drive roller 61 from above. Each spur 62 rotates following the rotation of the driving roller 61 . The sheet S is nipped by the rotating discharge roller pair 60 , conveyed in the conveying direction a, and discharged onto the discharge tray 22 .

In the embodiment, the driving rollers 51 and 61 and the feeding roller 31 are rotated by the power of the motor 53 . However, the driving rollers 51 and 61 and the feed roller 31 may be rotated by different motor powers. Alternatively, at least two of the driving rollers 51 and 61 and the feeding roller 31 may be rotated by the power of the same motor.

[Recording unit 70, platen 71]
In FIG. 2, each of the recording unit 70 and the platen 71 is positioned between the transport roller pair 50 and the discharge roller pair 60 in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The platen 71 has a support surface for the sheet S that extends in the front, rear, left, and right directions immediately below the linear portion 42 in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The recording unit 70 is positioned above the transport path 40 and has a carriage 72 and a recording head 73 . The carriage 72 is above the platen 71 and can reciprocate in the horizontal direction X by power given by a CR transport mechanism 80 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). The carriage 72 has a recording head 73 mounted on its lower surface side. The recording head 73 has a plurality of ejection openings 74 on its lower surface.

The recording head 73 ejects ink stored therein from a plurality of ejection ports 74 while the carriage 72 is moving under the control of the controller 99A (see FIG. 4). Thus, an image is recorded on the sheet S. FIG.

[Carriage Transport Mechanism 80]
3 to 5, the printer 100 further includes a carriage transport mechanism (hereinafter also referred to as "CR transport mechanism") 80 inside the housing 1. As shown in FIG. The CR transport mechanism 80 includes two guide rails (hereinafter also simply referred to as "rails") 81B and 81F, two pulleys 82L and 82R, an endless belt 83 and a carriage motor (hereinafter also referred to as "CR motor") 84. including. In FIG. 3, the pulley 82R is hidden by the carriage 72. FIG. 4, pulley 82R and CR motor 84 are hidden by carriage 72. In FIG. In FIG. 5, illustration of the rails 81B and 81F is omitted.

In FIG. 4 , the rail 81B extends left and right above and behind the platen 71 . The rail 81F extends left and right above and in front of the platen 71 . The rails 81B and 81F are separated from each other with the platen 71 interposed therebetween in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3 and 4, the left and right ends of the rails 81B and 81F are positioned outside the left and right ends of the conveying roller pair 50. As shown in FIG. The carriage 72 is bridged between the rails 81B and 81F.

In FIG. 5, each of the pulleys 82L and 82R is positioned between the range occupied by the rail 81F in the longitudinal direction Y (see FIG. 4). The pulleys 82L and 82R are positioned outside the left and right ends of the linear portion 42 in the left-right direction X, respectively. The pulleys 82L and 82R are provided so as to protrude upward from the upper surface of the rail 81F, and are rotatable in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft along the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, the endless belt 83 is wound around pulleys 82L and 82R. As is clear from FIGS. 3 to 5, the carriage 72 is fixed on the endless belt 83 at a position between the pulleys 82L and 82R.

As shown in FIG. 3, the CR motor 84 is positioned near the right end of the rail 81F in the horizontal direction X, slightly leftward from the right wall 12R, and positioned below the rail 81F in the vertical direction Z, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the CR motor 84 is positioned slightly forward of the cap 95A in the longitudinal direction Y and rearward of the cartridge case 91R.

In FIG. 5, the CR motor 84 is a brushed DC motor or the like, and has an output shaft directly connected to the rotating shaft of the pulley 82R. The output shaft of the CR motor 84 is parallel to the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. The CR motor 84 rotates under the control of the controller 99A and generates power on the output shaft to rotate the pulley 82R. Thereby, the endless belt 83 runs left and right between the pulleys 82L and 82R, and the carriage 72 reciprocates in the left and right direction X within the range between the right wall 12R and the left wall 12L of the housing 1. In FIGS. 4 and 5, within the movement range 72a of the carriage 72, a position deviated to the right from the straight portion 42 of the transport path 40 is defined as the capped position P1. The carriage 72 is capped by the cap 95A at the capped position P1.

[Internal configuration of housing 1]
3 to 5, the internal space 11 includes two cartridge cases (hereinafter also referred to as “CTG cases”) 91, four ink cartridges (hereinafter also referred to as “CTG”) 92, and four remaining amount sensors 93. , and four ink tubes 94 are located. 3 to 5, the ink tube 94 is indicated by a dashed line.

[CTG case 91 (an example of a container)]
The two CTG cases 91 are an example of a container and contain four CTGs 92 . In the embodiment, the two CTG cases 91 are CTG cases 91L and 91R. In FIG. 3, each CTG case 91 is located within a range in the front-rear direction Y from immediately behind the front wall 12F to a position away from the rail 81F and the recording unit 70 in front. Each CTG case 91 is positioned within a range from the vicinity of the bottom wall 12A to the vicinity of the top wall 12T in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The CTG case 91R is located on the right side of the supply tray 21, the discharge tray 22, and the transport path 40 in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. The right end position of the CTG case 91R is at the same position as the right end position of the movement range of the carriage 72 or closer to the left-right center than this.

1 and 6, the CTG case 91R is a box body having a plurality of inner walls 911. As shown in FIG. The plurality of inner walls 911 includes a bottom wall 911A, a top wall 911T, a rear wall 911B, a left wall 911L, a right wall 911R and two partition walls 911P, 911Q.

The bottom wall 911A and the top wall 911T are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction Z and extend in the front, rear, left, and right directions. The rear wall 911B extends vertically and horizontally and is connected to rear ends of the bottom wall 911A and the top wall 911T. The left wall 911L and the right wall 911R are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction X and spread in the front-rear and up-down directions. The partition walls 911P and 911Q extend in the front-rear and up-and-down directions with approximately equal intervals between the left wall 911L and the right wall 911R. Each inner wall 911 partitions the CTG case 91R into three inner spaces 912 . The front end of each internal space 912 is an opening facing forward. One CTG 92 (specifically, a CTG 92B to be described later) is mounted and accommodated in each internal space 912 through an opening.

In FIG. 6, the CTG case 91R has one ink needle (hereinafter also simply referred to as “needle”) 913 in each internal space 912 . Each needle 913 extends forward from a laterally central position in the vicinity of the lower end of the rear wall 911B. The needle 913 is an elongated tubular body and has an ink channel 913A. Note that FIG. 6B illustrates the rightmost internal space 912 of the three internal spaces 912 .

In FIG. 3, the CTG case 91L generally has the same configuration as the CTG case 91R except for the following three differences. The first difference is that the CTG case 91L is located on the left side of the supply tray 21, the discharge tray 22, and the transport path 40 in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. The second difference is that the left end of the CTG case 91L is located at the same position as the left end of the movement range of the carriage 72 in the left-right direction X or closer to the left-right center than the left end. A third difference is that one CTG 92 is mounted and accommodated in the internal space 912 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the CTG cases 91R and 91L are located within the movement range 72a of the carriage 72 in the left-right direction X and are separated from each other in the left-right direction X with respect to the transport path 40. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, a cover 14 corresponding to each CTG case 91 is provided on the front wall 12F. The cover 14 is covers 14L and 14R. The cover 14L is operated by the user between a first closed position (see FIG. 1(A)) that closes the opening of the CTG case 91L and a first open position (see FIG. 1(B)) that opens the opening. , in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 15L parallel to the left-right direction X. The cover 14R is operated by the user between a second closed position (see FIG. 1A) that closes the opening of the CTG case 91R and a second open position that opens the opening (see FIG. 1B). , in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 15R parallel to the left-right direction X.

[Remaining amount sensor 93 (an example of the first sensor)]
In FIG. 6, the remaining amount sensor 93 is an example of a first sensor, and is a photointerrupter having a light emitting element and a light receiving element. One remaining amount sensor 93 is attached to each internal space 912 . Specifically, each remaining amount sensor 93 is mounted on a substrate 931 (see FIG. 6B) together with peripheral circuits. A substrate 931 is attached to the top wall 911T of each internal space 912 . As a result, the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of each remaining amount sensor 93 protrude downward from near the upper end of the internal space 912 . The light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of each remaining amount sensor 93 face each other with a space left and right. Each light-emitting element emits light toward the facing light-receiving element. The light receiving element outputs a signal indicating the amount of received light to the controller 99A. Specifically, when there is nothing blocking the optical path between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, the light-receiving element outputs a high-level signal in response to receiving the light emitted from the light-emitting element. When there is something blocking the optical path between the light emitting element and the light receiving element and the light emitted from the light emitting element cannot be received, the light receiving element outputs a low level signal.

[CTG92 (example of ink reservoir)]
In FIG. 1, the four CTGs 92 are an example of ink reservoirs and store ink to be supplied to the recording unit 70 . Ink colors are, for example, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). In the embodiment, the CTG 92 for YMC colors is attached to the CTG case 91R, and the CTG 92 for K color is attached to the CTG case 91L. 7 and 8 show the CTG 92 in the posture when it is attached to the CTG case 91. FIG. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the CTG 92 in the mounted posture will be described.

7, each CTG 92 includes a plurality of outer walls 921, ink storage chambers 922 (see FIG. 7B), air communication holes 923, ink lead-out portions 924, and detected portions 925. As shown in FIG.

The plurality of outer walls 921 are made of, for example, a translucent material such as transparent resin, and partition the ink storage chamber 922 from the outside. The ink storage chamber 922 stores ink. The plurality of outer walls 921 include a bottom wall 921A, a top wall 921T, a front wall 921F, a rear wall 921B, a left wall 921L and a right wall 921R.

The bottom wall 921A and the top wall 921T are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction Z and extend in the front, rear, left, and right directions. The front wall 921F extends vertically and horizontally and is connected to the front ends of the bottom wall 921A and the top wall 921T. The rear wall 921B extends vertically and horizontally and is connected to rear ends of the bottom wall 921A and the top wall 921T. The left wall 921L and the right wall 921R extend in the front-rear and up-and-down directions to close the left and right sides of the ink reservoir chamber 922, respectively.

In FIG. 7B, the air communication hole 923 is a hole that is formed near the upper end of the rear wall 921B and penetrates the rear wall 921B in the front-rear direction. When the CTG 92 is attached to the CTG case 91 and the ink in the ink storage chamber 922 is sent out of the CTG 92 , outside air is introduced into the ink storage chamber 922 through the air communication hole 923 .

The ink lead-out portion 924 leads ink from the ink storage chamber 922 to the outside of the CTG 91 through a hole 924A formed near the lower end of the rear wall 921B. Specifically, in FIG. 7B, the ink lead-out portion 924 has a valve 924B. The valve 924B is movable between a third open position (see FIG. 8) that opens the hole 924A and a third closed position (see FIG. 7B) that closes the hole 924A. The valve 924B is biased in a direction to close the hole 924A by a biasing member 924C such as a spring.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the CTG 92 is mounted in the internal space 912 by being moved backward by the user through the corresponding opening of the internal space 912 . In this process, the needles 913 in the inner space 912 respectively hit the valves 924B. The needle 913 resists the biasing force of the biasing member 924C and applies a forward force on the valve 924B in a direction opposite to the biasing force. This causes the valve 924B to move from the third closed position (see FIG. 6B) to the third open position (see FIG. 8). As a result, the ink in the ink storage chamber 922 is discharged out of the CTG 92 through the hole 924A as the recording unit 70 consumes the ink.

In FIG. 3, the shapes and dimensions of the four CTGs 92 may be the same or different. Also, one or more of the four CTGs 92 may have different shapes and dimensions from the other CTGs 92 . For example, the lateral dimension of the CTG 92 for K may differ from the lateral dimension of the CTG 92 for YMC.

[Detected part 925]
In FIG. 7, the detected portion 925 has a convex portion 925A, a detected member 925B and a float 925C.

The convex portion 925A is integral with the top wall 921T made of a translucent material and protrudes upward from the top wall 921T. A space that is continuous with the ink storage chamber 922 is formed in the convex portion 925A. In FIG. 8, the convex portion 925A is positioned between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the remaining amount sensor 93 when the CTG 92 is attached to the CTG case 91. As shown in FIG. That is, the remaining amount sensor 93 is positioned above the ink storage chamber 922 of the CTG 92 .

The detected member 925B is supported by a rotating shaft 925D extending in the left-right direction X at a lower position of the ink storage chamber 922. As shown in FIG. The upper end portion of the detected member 925B enters the space of the convex portion 925A. The detected member 925B is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 925D. The float 925C is attached to the lower end of the detected member 925B and has a specific gravity smaller than the ink in the ink storage chamber 922. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the float 925C creates buoyancy in the state of being present in the ink in the ink storage chamber 922. FIG.

When the ink storage chamber 922 is almost filled with ink, the buoyancy of the float 925C causes the upper end of the detected member 925B to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 7B in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 925D. As a result, it comes into contact with the rear wall of the projection 925A. Thereby, the posture of the detected member 925B is maintained. In this state, the upper end of the detected member 925B blocks the optical path between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the remaining amount sensor 93 .

As the ink level in the ink storage chamber 922 drops, the vertical position of the float 925C also drops. As a result, the upper end of the member to be detected 925B rotates clockwise in FIG. 7B in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 925D. deviate from

[Ink tube 94 (an example of an ink flow path)]
4 to 6, four ink tubes 94 are connected to the rear side of four needles 913 at one end of each. The other ends of the four ink tubes 94 are connected to the recording unit 70 . When the four CTGs 92 are attached to the two CTG cases 91, the four needles 913 are inserted into the holes 924A of the ink lead-out portion 924. As shown in FIG. As a result, an ink flow path is formed that extends from the ink storage chamber 922 of each CTG 92 to the hole 924A, the ink flow path 913A of the needle 913, and the ink tube 94. FIG. The ink stored in the ink storage chamber 922 is supplied to the recording unit 70 through this ink flow path.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the three ink tubes 94 are directed from the rear side of the three needles 913 (see FIG. 6B) of the CTG case 91R toward the left and right center of the housing 1. to the left. The remaining one ink tube 94 extends rightward from the rear side of the needle 913 of the CTG case 91L toward the left-right center of the housing 1 . The four ink tubes 94 are bundled into four and fixed to the housing 1 at a fixing position P2 inside the housing 1 . The front and rear positions of the fixed position P2 are between the four CTGs 92 and the recording unit 70. FIG. The left and right positions of the fixed position P2 are near the center of the housing 1 . The vertical position of the fixed position P2 is above the supply tray 21 . A portion of the four ink tubes 94 between the fixed position P2 and the recording unit 70 moves following the movement of the carriage 72 in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG.

[Internal configuration of housing 1 (maintenance unit 95, etc.)]
5 and 9, a maintenance unit 95, a waste liquid unit 96, a waste liquid tube 97, and a waste liquid sensor 98 are located in the internal space 11. FIG.

The maintenance unit 95 is a purging mechanism, and performs purging for removing air bubbles and foreign matter together with ink from the ejection port 74 of the recording unit 70 under the control of the controller 99A. The maintenance unit 95 has a cap 95A, a pump 95B and an elevating mechanism 95C.

[Cap 95A]
The cap 95A is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and is brought into close contact with the lower surface of the recording head 73 by the elevating mechanism 95C to cover the plurality of ejection ports 74. As shown in FIG. An intake port 95D is formed in the bottom of the cap 95A. One end of the upstream tube 97A is connected to the intake port 95D.

The cap 95A is located within the movement range 72a of the carriage 72 in the left-right direction X, at a position off the straight portion 42 of the transport path 40 to the right, and below the capped position P1 (see FIG. 4). placed in Specifically, the left end of the cap 95A is positioned to the right of the right end of the substrate 99. As shown in FIG. The cap 95A is arranged at substantially the same position as the movement range 72a of the carriage 72 in the front-rear direction Y, and positioned below the carriage 72 in the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG.

[Pump 95B]
In FIG. 5, the pump 95B is, for example, a rotary tube pump. The pump 95B is positioned to the left of the CR motor 84 and to the right of the linear portion 42 within the movement range 72a of the carriage 72 in the horizontal direction X. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the left end of the pump 95B is also positioned to the right of the right end of the substrate 99, like the left end of the cap 95A. 9, the pump 95B is located below the rail 81F (see FIG. 4) in the vertical direction Z and above the bottom wall 911A of the CTG case 91. In FIG. The pump 95B is positioned forward of the cap 95A and rearward of the CTG case 91 in the longitudinal direction Y. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, the pump 95B has a suction port 95E and a discharge port 95F. The other end of the upstream tube 97A is connected to the suction port 95E. One end of the downstream tube 97B is connected to the discharge port 95F. Pump 95B communicates with cap 95A via upstream tube 97A. The pump 95B is driven under the control of the controller 99A to push out the ink inside from the ejection port 95F to the downstream tube 97B.

[Elevator mechanism 95C]
In FIG. 9, the lifting mechanism 95C is provided within the movement range of the carriage 72 in the left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y and at the same position as the cap 95A. The lifting mechanism 95C is located below the cap 95A in the up-down direction Z.

The cap 95A is moved in the vertical direction Z between the cap position P3 and the separated position P4 below the cap position P3. The cap position P3 is a position where the upper end of the cap 95A is in close contact with the lower surface of the recording unit 70 at the capped position P1, and the cap 95A covers the ejection port 74. As shown in FIG. The separated position P4 is a position where the upper end of the cap 95A is separated from the lower surface of the recording unit 70 at the capped position P1. As the elevating mechanism 95C, for example, after the carriage 72 moves to the capped position P1 (see FIG. 4), a mechanism can be employed in which the cap 95A is lifted to the capping position P3 by power from the motor. However, the lifting mechanism 95C is not limited to the above, and other known mechanisms may be adopted.

As described above, the range occupied by the maintenance unit 95 in the horizontal direction X overlaps the movement range of the carriage 72 .

"Overview of Operation of Maintenance Unit 95"
When the timing to execute the purge comes, the CR transport mechanism 80 moves the carriage 72 to the capped position P1. The lifting mechanism 95C moves the cap 95A to the cap position P3. After that, by driving the pump 95B, the air pressure inside the cap 95A that is in close contact with the recording unit 70 is lowered, and the ink is discharged from the recording unit 70 to the cap 95A as waste liquid. The waste liquid flows into the upstream tube 97A from the inlet port 95D of the cap 95A, and flows into the waste liquid unit 96 from the pump 95B through the downstream tube 97B. Waste liquid is stored in the waste liquid unit 96 .

[Waste liquid unit 96]
3 to 5, the waste liquid unit 96 stores the ink discharged from the recording unit 70 by the maintenance unit 95. FIG.

The waste liquid unit 96 is located within a range from the left end of the CTG case 91R to the right end of the substrate 99, which will be described later, in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. That is, the right end position of the waste liquid unit 96 is to the left of the left end position of the CTG case 91R. The left end position of the waste liquid unit 96 is to the right of the right end position of the substrate 99, like the maintenance unit 95. FIG. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the waste liquid unit 96 is located within a range in the front-rear direction Y from immediately behind the front wall 12F to the front end of the rail 81F. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 70 and the maintenance unit 95 are positioned behind the waste liquid unit 96 . That is, the front end positions of the recording unit 70 and the maintenance unit 95 are positioned behind the rear end position of the waste liquid unit 96 . As shown in FIG. 10A, the waste liquid unit 96 is positioned in the vertical direction Z between the linear portion 42 of the transport path 40 and the upper wall 12T. That is, the waste liquid unit 96 is positioned above the transport path 40 .

As shown in FIG. 9, the range occupied by the waste liquid unit 96 overlaps the range occupied by the CTG case 91 in each of the front-back direction Y and the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the waste liquid unit 96 has a substantially rectangular case 96A in a plan view and an ink absorbing member 96B mounted inside the case 96A. The case 96A is a box body made of resin or the like and having an open top. The ink absorbing member 96B is made of a porous and electrically insulating material such as polyurethane foam, and absorbs ink.

[Waste liquid tube 97 (an example of waste liquid flow path)]
In FIG. 9, the waste liquid tube 97 includes an upstream tube 97A and a downstream tube 97B. One end and the other end of the upstream tube 97A are connected to the suction port 95D of the cap 95A and the suction port 95E of the pump 95B, respectively. One end of the downstream tube 97B is connected to the discharge port 95F of the pump 95B. The other end of the downstream tube 97B is connected to a connecting portion 96C provided at the rear end of the case 96A. 5, the downstream tube 97B three-dimensionally intersects the ink tube 94 extending from the CTG case 91R in the vertical direction 7 at a position slightly behind the connecting portion 96C.

[Waste liquid sensor 98 (an example of the second sensor)]
In FIG. 3, the waste liquid sensor 98 is an example of a second sensor and has a plurality of electrodes 98A that contact the front end of the ink absorbing member 96B from above the ink absorbing member 96B. The front end is a concept including the front end and the vicinity of the front end of the ink absorbing member 96B. Like the waste liquid unit 96, the waste liquid sensor 98 is positioned within a range from the left end of the CTG case 91R to the right end of the substrate 99 described later in the left-right direction X.

A plurality of electrodes 98A are mounted on a substrate 98B together with a peripheral circuit (not shown). The waste liquid sensor 98 outputs a high-level signal to the controller 99A in response to ink reaching the electrodes 98A. The waste liquid sensor 98 outputs a low-level signal to the controller 99A when the ink has not reached the electrodes 98A.

[Substrate 99 (an example of substrate)]
3 to 5, a substrate 99 is positioned in the inner space 11. As shown in FIG. A controller 99A for controlling each component of the printer 100 is mounted on the substrate 99 . The controller 99A includes CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, ASIC, and connectors as various electronic components. Various electronic components are connected to each other by internal buses, wirings formed on substrates, and the like.

The substrate 99 is located within a range from the left end of the waste liquid unit 96 to the right end of the CTG case 91L in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. In other words, the right end position of the substrate 99 is to the left of the left end position of the waste liquid unit 96 , and the left end position of the substrate 99 is to the right of the right end position of the waste liquid unit 96 . The substrate 99 is positioned in the front-back direction Y within a range from immediately behind the front wall 12F to the fixed position P2. That is, the entire substrate 99 is positioned forward of the fixed position P2. The substrate 99 is positioned within the range between the straight portion 42 of the transport path 40 and the top wall 12T in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. That is, the entire substrate 99 is located above the transport path 40 and the lower end of the substrate 99 is not located below the upper end of the transport path 40 .

As shown in FIG. 10A, the range occupied by the substrate 99 in the vertical direction Z overlaps that of the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 . Specifically, it is preferable that the mounting surface of the controller 99A on the board 99, the mounting surface of the remaining amount sensor 93 on the board 931, and the mounting surface of the electrode 98A on the board 98B are aligned with each other. At this position, the substrate 99 extends in the front-back direction Y and the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the substrate 99 is positioned forward of the recording unit 70 and to the left of the maintenance unit 95 and the waste liquid unit 96 . Specifically, the rear end of the substrate 99 is positioned forward of the front end of the recording unit 70 . The right end of the substrate 99 is positioned to the left of the left ends of the maintenance unit 95 and the waste liquid unit 96 .

The controller 99A receives the output signal of the remaining amount sensor 93 and the output signal of the waste liquid sensor 98 . The controller 99A causes the display to display a screen prompting replacement of the corresponding CTG 92 in response to the transition of the output signal of the remaining amount sensor 93 from low level to high level. Further, the controller 99A causes the display to display a screen prompting replacement of the waste liquid unit 96 in response to the transition of the output signal of the waste liquid sensor 98 from low level to high level.

[Action and effect of the embodiment]
In the embodiment, the substrate 99 extends in the front-back direction Y and the left-right direction X, and the range occupied in the up-down direction Z overlaps the range occupied in the up-down direction Z by the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 . Therefore, the vertical distance from the controller 99A to each of the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 is shortened, and the controller 99A and each of the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 can be connected with shorter signal lines. As a result, the space inside the housing 1 can be effectively used, and the size of the printer 100 can be reduced.

In the embodiment, the recording unit 70 and the maintenance unit 95 are located behind the waste liquid unit 96, the substrate 99 and each CTG case 91 are located forward of the recording unit 70, and the waste liquid sensor 98 is at or near the front end of the waste liquid unit 96. To position. With this configuration, compared to the case where the waste liquid sensor 98 is positioned closer to the rear end of the waste liquid unit 96, the front-rear distance from the maintenance unit 95 to the waste liquid unit 96 becomes shorter, and the maintenance unit 95 and the waste liquid unit 96 can be connected by a shorter waste liquid tube. You can connect with 97.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the straight portion 42 of the sheet S extends along the front-rear direction Y, and the recording unit 70 is positioned above the conveying path 40 in the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10A, the waste liquid unit 96 and the substrate 99 are laid out in the space above the discharge tray 22 in front of the recording unit 70 in the internal space 11 . That is, the waste liquid unit 96 and the substrate 99 are positioned above the transport path 40 in the vertical direction Z so as not to hinder the discharge of the printed matter. As described above, in the embodiment, the space in front of the recording unit 70 is effectively used, so the front and rear size and the left and right size of the printer 100 can be reduced.

In the embodiment, the CTG cases 91L and 91R are within the movement range of the carriage 72 in the horizontal direction X, and are located on both the left and right sides with respect to the conveying path 40 of the sheet S, so that the horizontal dimension of the printer 100 is reduced. can.

In the embodiment, the maintenance unit 95 and the waste liquid unit 96 are positioned in the same direction (specifically, rightward) with respect to the substrate 99 in the horizontal direction X. As shown in FIG. This allows the maintenance unit 95 and the waste liquid unit 96 to be connected with a shorter waste liquid tube 97 . The waste liquid sensor 98 is positioned between the substrate 99 and the CTG case 91L in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the controller 99A and the waste liquid sensor 98 can be connected with a shorter signal line.

In the embodiment, the range occupied by each CTG case 91 in both the front-back direction Y and the up-down direction Z and the range occupied in both the front-back direction Y and the left-right direction X of the waste liquid unit 96 overlap each other. Further, each remaining amount sensor 93 and waste liquid sensor 98 are positioned above each CTG 92 and waste liquid unit 96 . As a result, the front-to-rear dimensions of the printer 100 can be reduced.

[Modification]
In the embodiment, the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 are mounted on the substrate 931 and the substrate 98B different from the substrate 99 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 10B, the remaining amount sensor 93 and the waste liquid sensor 98 may be mounted on the substrate 99 together with the controller 99A. This reduces man-hours for removing the remaining amount sensor 93, the waste liquid sensor 98 and the controller 99A when repairing or maintaining the printer 100. FIG. In this modified example, the planar shape of the substrate 99 may be rectangular, or may be an irregular shape such as a T shape or an inverted T shape.

In the embodiment, the waste liquid unit 96 and the substrate 99 are positioned above the transport path 40 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of the waste liquid unit 96 and the substrate 99 may be positioned above the transport path 40 .

In the embodiment, the two CTG cases 91L and 91R are separately arranged on the left and right sides of the supply tray 21 in the internal space 11 . However, without being limited to this, a single CTG case 91 may be arranged on one side of the supply tray 21 in the left-right direction X. FIG. A single CTG case 91 can accommodate four CTGs 92 when the printer 100 is compatible with full-color printing. Also, if the printer 100 only supports monochrome printing, a single CTG case 91 may accommodate one CTG 92 .

In the embodiment, each of maintenance unit 95 and waste liquid unit 96 was positioned to the right of substrate 99 . However, not limited to this, each of the maintenance unit 95 and the waste liquid unit 96 may be positioned to the left of the substrate 99 .

In the embodiment, each residual sensor 93 and waste sensor 98 was located above each CTG 92 and waste unit 96 . However, not limited to this, each remaining amount sensor 93 or waste liquid sensor 98 may be positioned other than above each CTG 92 or waste liquid unit 96 (for example, in front).

In the embodiment, the waste liquid unit 96 was connected by a pump 95B and a downstream tube 97B that constitute a purge mechanism. However, the waste liquid unit 96 may be connected by a waste liquid tube separate from the ink receiver used for so-called flushing.

In the embodiments, the CTG 92 detachable from the CTG case 91 is given as an example of the ink reservoir. However, the ink reservoir is not limited to this, and may be an ink tank installed in a container inside the housing 1 .

In the embodiment, the remaining amount sensor 93 detects the position of the detected portion 925 having the float 925C with a photointerrupter. However, the remaining amount sensor 93 is not limited to this, and a known liquid level sensor can be applied.

In the embodiment, the conveying path 40 has a curved portion 41 that extends rearwardly from the bottom of the internal space 11 upward while swelling, and a straight portion 42 that extends forward from the downstream end of the curved portion 41 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveying path 40 may have a curved portion extending from the bottom to the top of the internal space 11 while swelling rightward, and a straight portion extending leftward from the downstream end of the curved portion. good.

In the embodiment, the left and right ends of the waste liquid unit 96 are positioned inside the left and right ends of the transport path 40 . However, not limited to this, one of the left end and right end of the waste liquid unit 96 may be positioned outside one of the left end and right end of the transport path 40 .

In the embodiment, the planar shape of the waste liquid unit 96 was a rectangle elongated in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. However, the planar shape of the waste liquid unit 96 is not limited to this, and may be an irregular shape such as an inverted L shape or an inverted T shape.

In the embodiment, the maintenance unit 95 is configured to perform a suction purge in which the ink in the recording unit 70 is ejected from the ejection port 74 to the cap 75A and led to the waste liquid unit 96 . However, the maintenance unit 95 is not limited to this, and the maintenance unit 95 may be configured to be able to perform exhaust gas purging. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the recording unit 70 is formed with an exhaust channel 76 branched from the ink channel 75 . The exhaust flow path 76 serves as an exhaust port 77 (another example of an ejection port) on the bottom surface of the recording unit 70 . The recording unit 70 is provided with an exhaust valve 78 for opening and closing the exhaust port 77 . In FIG. 11, the maintenance unit 95 has an exhaust cap 95J covering the exhaust port 77 in addition to the cap 95A. An exhaust port 95K is formed at the bottom of the exhaust cap 95J. One end of an exhaust tube 97C is connected to the exhaust port 95K. The other end of the exhaust tube 97C merges with the upstream tube 97A.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Printer 1... Case 11... Internal space 40... Conveyance path 70... Recording unit 72... Carriage 73... Recording head 74... Ejection port 91... Cartridge case (CTG case)
92 Ink cartridge (CTG)
93 Remaining amount sensor 94 Ink tube 95 Maintenance unit 96 Waste liquid unit 97 Waste liquid tube 98 Waste liquid sensor 99 Substrate 99A Controller

Claims (7)

It has a housing with an internal space,
In the internal space of the housing,
a recording head having ink ejection openings;
a container containing an ink reservoir that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head;
a first sensor for detecting the ink stored in the ink reservoir;
a maintenance unit for discharging ink from the ejection openings of the recording head;
a waste liquid unit that stores the ink discharged by the maintenance unit;
a second sensor for detecting ink in the waste liquid unit;
a substrate on which a controller for receiving signals output from the first sensor and the second sensor is mounted;
The substrate has a plane extending in the front-back direction and the left-right direction, and the range occupied in the up-down direction orthogonal to the front-back direction and the left-right direction is the range occupied in the up-down direction by the first sensor and the second sensor. Inkjet recording device that overlaps with. The recording head and the maintenance unit are positioned behind the waste liquid unit in the front-rear direction,
The substrate and the container are positioned forward of the recording head in the front-rear direction, and
2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second sensor is positioned at the front end of the waste liquid unit. A sheet transport path at least partially extending along the front-rear direction is formed in the interior space of the housing,
The recording head is positioned above the transport path,
3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the waste liquid unit and the substrate is positioned above the transport path in the vertical direction. further comprising a carriage for mounting the recording head,
The carriage moves along the lateral direction in the internal space of the housing,
The container is a plurality,
Each of the containers is located forward of the recording head in the front-rear direction, is within the movement range of the carriage in the left-right direction, and is positioned in the left-right direction with respect to the sheet conveying path. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is divided into two sides. In the horizontal direction, the range occupied by the maintenance unit overlaps with the movement range of the carriage,
The maintenance unit and the waste liquid unit are positioned in the same direction with respect to the substrate in the horizontal direction,
5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second sensor is positioned between the substrate and the container in the horizontal direction. The storage body and the waste liquid unit have overlapping ranges in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction,
The first sensor is positioned above the ink reservoir,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second sensor is positioned above the waste liquid unit. 7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are mounted on the substrate.

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